Freedom of Speech!!!

MARTIN LUTHER KING JR, NELSON MANDELA AND MAYA ANGELOU

A Series of Portrait of Human Right Fighters done by JONAS SUN7 for the Solo Exhibition "OVER EXPOSED" at CATHERINE AHNELL GALLERY

"I Have A Dream" by JONAS SUN7, Marker on Dibond, 72"x 48"

MARTIN LUTHER KING JR 1929-1968

"I Have a Dream" is a public speech delivered by American civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr. during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom on August 28, 1963, in which he calls for an end to racism in the United States and called for civil and economic rights. Delivered to over 250,000 civil rights supporters from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., the speech was a defining moment of the Civil Rights Movement.

Beginning with a reference to the Emancipation Proclamation, which freed millions of slaves in 1863, King observes that: "one hundred years later, the Negro still is not free". Toward the end of the speech, King departed from his prepared text for a partly improvised peroration on the theme "I have a dream", prompted by Mahalia Jackson's cry: "Tell them about the dream, Martin! In this part of the speech, which most excited the listeners and has now become its most famous, King described his dreams of freedom and equality arising from a land of slavery and hatred. "With a single phrase, Martin Luther King Jr. joined Jefferson and Lincoln in the ranks of men who've shaped modern America”.

"Madiba" by JONAS SUN7, Marker on Dibond, 72"x 48"

NELSON MANDELA 1918-2013

He was a South African anti-apartheid revolutionary, politician, and philanthropist, who served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999.

Famous quotes by Nelson Mandela are:

-Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.

-It always seems impossible until it's done.

-I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.

“Madiba" is the name of the clan of which Mr Mandela was a member. A clan name is much more important than a surname as it refers to the ancestor from which a person is descended. Madiba was the name of a Thembu chief who ruled in the Transkei in the 18th century. It is considered very polite to use someone’s clan name.

"The power of Words" by JONAS SUN7, Marker on Dibond, 72"x 48"

MAYA ANGELOU (born Marguerite Ann Johnson) 1928-2014

She was an American author and poet who has been called "America's most visible black female autobiographer". She is best known for her series of six autobiographical volumes, which focus on her childhood and early adult experiences. "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" (1969) brought her international recognition, and was nominated for a National Book Award. She has been awarded over 30 honorary degrees and was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize for her 1971 volume of poetry, Just Give Me a Cool Drink of Water 'Fore I Diiie.

Angelou was a member of the Harlem Writers Guild in the late 1950s, was active in the Civil Rights movement, and served as Northern Coordinator of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Southern Christian Leadership Conference. In 1993, Angelou recited her poem "On the Pulse of Morning" at President Bill Clinton's inauguration.